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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What similarity does Lalami note between Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh's testimony?
(a) Both men said their accuser's testimony was compelling.
(b) Both men refused to testify.
(c) Both men offered compelling arguments against their accuser.
(d) Both men admitted not watching their accuser's testimony.

2. In "Caste," what does Lalami cite as an example of policy which worked to oppress the Black vote?
(a) Banning Black people from voting if white people were in line.
(b) Only advertising election days and time to white people.
(c) The implementation of poll taxes.
(d) Sending Black people to separate voting stations that were often too far to get to.

3. Why was Lalami's impoverished state during grad school different from others in her apartment building?
(a) She could rarely pay rent on time.
(b) She made far less than other tenants in her building.
(c) Her poverty was intentional as she had chosen to give up all material possessions.
(d) She expected to get a well-paying job when she finished school.

4. What author does Lalami quote as saying, "How extremely expensive it is to be poor" (129)?
(a) Maya Angelou.
(b) James Baldwin.
(c) Langston Hughes.
(d) Richard Wright.

5. Who does Lalami cite in "Caste" as an anomaly for funding her own campaign with bartending money and individual donors?
(a) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
(b) Elizabeth Warren.
(c) Kamal Harris.
(d) Hillary Clinton.

6. Why did Lalami decide not to go to HR after she was fired from her first job after grad school?
(a) She had no concrete evidence to prove her case.
(b) She did not get along with the head of HR.
(c) She could never get in touch with them so finally gave up.
(d) Her boss warned her not to tell anyone.

7. What does Lalami say about how women who "speak clearly and forcefully" (144) are viewed?
(a) They are viewed as arrogant and aggressive.
(b) They are held in high esteem.
(c) They are viewed with the same respect as quiet, reserved women.
(d) They are viewed as paradigms of femininity.

8. What year did Arabs begin to petition for their own separate box on the U.S. census?
(a) 2001.
(b) 2019.
(c) 1890.
(d) 1990.

9. What does Lalami say about Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett at the end of "Caste"?
(a) They have used their wealth for the greater good.
(b) They are not as wealthy as people think.
(c) They worked hard for their money.
(d) They have more wealth than 160 million other Americans.

10. In "Inheritance," what does Lalami say happened when she chose to write about being sexually harassed in her editor's office years earlier?
(a) Others began to share their stories.
(b) Many readers offered emotionally support.
(c) The columnist's identity was discovered and he was fired.
(d) A reader quickly questioned her honesty.

11. In "Caste," what does Lalami say gave her "access to elite groups" (127) despite growing up poor?
(a) Being fluent in French.
(b) Wearing fancy clothes.
(c) Getting good grades.
(d) Shunning poor students.

12. How much was Lalami's first apartment in Los Angeles, which she describes at the start of "Caste"?
(a) $150/month.
(b) $2500/month.
(c) $950/month.
(d) $450/month.

13. What is a question Lalami says is often asked when women accuse a man of sexual assault years after it is said to have occurred?
(a) Has she thought of how this might impact his family?
(b) What did she do to encourage it?
(c) Why would she try to damage his reputation after so many years?
(d) Why did they not say something sooner?

14. What does Lalami say happened as a result of the crack epidemic in the 1980s?
(a) More access to drug treatment.
(b) Drug prevention education became more prevalent in schools.
(c) Mass incarceration of Black men and women.
(d) The stigma against drug addiction was shattered.

15. Who does Lalami say often get excluded from social programs like Social Security and Medicare?
(a) Poor people.
(b) Nonwhites.
(c) The Elderly.
(d) Disabled people.

Short Answer Questions

1. Despite being secular, what common Muslim rule did Lalami's father enforce?

2. What does Lalami say is the "absence of race" (94) in "Tribe"?

3. What issue did Lalami encounter in her first apartment in L.A.?

4. What is one way that Lalami suggests equal voting rights can be achieved?

5. How old was Lalami's daughter when they moved to Casablanca where she could learn to speak Arab?

(see the answer keys)

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